Get your swim on: Spring Lake lagoon opens Saturday, Russian River locales to offer free life vests

Sonoma County residents staying close to home over Memorial Day weekend can get a start-of-summer fix at Spring Lake Regional Park’s swimming lagoon, which opens for the season Saturday.

The lagoon offers lakeside swimming, the beloved inflatable floating water park, plus stand-up paddleboard and boat rentals.

Swimming and playing on the beach are always free, with complimentary life vests available. The water park, which features inflatable floating play structures on part of the lake, requires reservations and is limited to children ages 6 and older. Tickets are $10 per person for two-hour sessions.

Tickets for the sessions, which begin at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. are limited and may sell out. Reservations can be made at socoparks.org/aquatics.

Paddleboards and single and tandem kayaks can also be rented by the hour between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Boats can also be reserved at socoparks.org/aquatics.

Entrance to Spring Lake Regional Park is $7 per vehicle or free for individuals with a Sonoma County Regional Parks pass.

Safety measures along Russian River

Those planning to visit the Russian River over Memorial Day weekend will find free life jackets courtesy of Sonoma County Regional Parks at Del Rio Woods, Forestville River Access, Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach and Steelhead and Sunset beaches. Visitors can simply borrow a life jacket during the day and return it at the end of the day.

“Using a life jacket is highly recommended; there are unseen hazards and changing conditions on the river,” Sonoma County Regional Parks said in a press release.

Sonoma County Regional Parks lifeguards will also rotate along the Russian River during summer weekends, beginning Memorial Day. A roving team of lifeguards will visit Del Rio Woods, Forestville River access, Steelhead and Sunset beaches to provide information to visitors about staying safe on the water, how to avoid dangerous situations and ensuring free life jackets fit correctly.

The temporary dam at the Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach will be installed in early July, Regional Parks said. Once installed, the Russian River will transform into the popular summer swimming spot. Lifeguards are currently on duty on the weekends, but will become a daily fixture at the beach once the dam is installed.

Swimming at Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach is $7 per vehicle or free for individuals with a Sonoma County Regional Parks pass.

Amie Windsor is the Community Journalism Team Lead with The Press Democrat. She can be reached at amie.windsor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5218.